pilgrim people

If you are interested in reading more about the connection between Owen's doctrine of the pactum salutis and his doctrine of the imputation of Christ's active obedience, pick up a copy of The Outlook this October. The editor has agreed to publish an article I wrote on Owen's doctrine of imputation, which, hopefully is more clear, cogent, and concise than a series of blogposts.

There is one point, however, that I would like to make briefly. For Owen, ALL of Christ's obedience was ultimately active obedience, even his suffering and death. In some regards, Owen found the debates in his day over the distinction between the active and passive obedience of Christ to be foolhardy, “for [Christ] exercised the highest active obedience in his suffering, when he offered himself to God through the eternal Spirit.” (V, 253) Because of the pactum salutis, the whole of Christ's work was in the context of active obedience. Sent as our surety in the covenant of grace, Christ had to accomplish the work the Father gave him to do and fulfilling the demands of the law by keeping its commands and suffering its penalty and curse. For England's most significant federalist theologian, all of this was Christ's active obedience.